News: RCT-5 gives Iraqi Police station upgrade

Iraqi Policemen, Marines and U.S. Army soldiers unload wall lockers given to Iraqi Police from Regimental Combat Team 5. Soldiers serving as the regiment's Police Transition Team in Ameriyah, Iraq, worked for months to get desks, filing cabinets and wall lockers so police could have a more organized station for their 24-hour shifts.

by Gunnery Sgt. Mark Oliva
Regimental Combat Team 5

AMERIYAH, Iraq (Sept. 23, 2006) -- Iraqi Police here gave their station a bit of a makeover.

New office furniture, including desks, chairs, wall lockers and filing cabinets were delivered by Marines from Regimental Combat Team 5 to upgrade the Iraqi Police station here Sept. 22. The delivery of supplies also included incubators and a medical waste incinerator to a hospital in nearby Ferris.

"We've been fighting to get them furniture here for a long time," said Army 2nd Lt. Jill M. Glassenapp, a 23-year-old Police Transition Team leader from Mauston, Wisc. "They've done such a good job on their own."

Glassenapp said Iraqi Police here furnished the station themselves until now. The station was stood up several months ago, and Iraqi policemen stationed here brought furniture from their home themselves, including a couple of desks, chairs, tables and even beds.

Until now, Iraqi Police were making due with whatever they had. Police shared lockers to store uniforms and used empty boxes from Meals, Ready-to-Eat, to store files. They even built themselves a kitchen in the station so police could eat there when they work 24-hour shifts instead of having to go home.

"This will now give them their own space," said Army Staff Sgt. Jason K. Garrison, a 27-year-old from Newport, N.Y., assigned to RCT-5's PTT. "They won't have to use MRE boxes. They'll have file cabinets to keep records and files organized."